Hogwarts, Meet the Marauders!
by Kelsid
Summary: The Marauders are thrown back in time while attempting to save Lily and James. Will they ever meet their future counterparts? Will they find James and Lily? Sequel to Harry's Our What.
1. Chapter 1

HOGWARTS, MEET THE MARAUDERS

The sequel to HARRY'S OUR WHAT???

By Kelsid

Professor Dumbledore looked out of his window, surveying the scene below. A teenager with messy, dark hair stood beside two other students, laughing. In his green eyes there was an eager look, as if the pace of the conversation was unfolding much too slowly. Like the eyes of a child who had Christmas come early.

He could understand why. The two people with Harry were his parents. Come from the past in their 6th year, they had finally met Harry. The spell to bring them back into the past had still not been found, but eventually, it would be. Anyhow, Harry needed the joy in his life. Surely leaving the two here a little longer couldn't hurt.

-

The sun was setting, and James, Lily and Harry were entering the castle again. Everything seemed beautifully picturesque but not for long. Because what no one knew, save Moaning Myrtle, was that the Marauders had followed James and Lily. They were simply hiding away in the bathroom, waiting for an opportunity to corner James and Lily alone. And they surely would, if they didn't kill each other first.

"Sirius, you've got to stop singing," Remus muttered through gritted teeth. They had, in a smart move, switched their hideout to Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The only downside was that Sirius was free to sing to his heart's content, since he had the illusion he was a pop singer in the future. Remus had tried to convince him several times that not only was he probably not a singer, but why would he be, since he wasn't very good at it? But Sirius did not take this into consideration as he belted out "I Love You (Love Me)." Even worse, he'd only sing The Warlocks' songs, which was the most famous wizarding band… in their time, at least.

"Please?" Peter asked timidly, crouched against a bathroom sink. He was playing with his wand and rolling it in the crevices of the tiles, very bored.

Giving them both the death glare, Sirius went on to sing even louder. "LOOOOVE ME… LOVE ME… I LOVE YOU… TOO…."

"We need to get out of here," Remus whispered to Peter, who nodded in agreement. Moaning Myrtle, however, clapped her hands at Sirius's performance. She, apparently, was enjoying it.

"See if anyone's out in the hallway," instructed Remus, ushering Peter toward the door. "If there isn't, we can hide out in a spare classroom."

Nodding, Peter peeked outside the door. There was nobody in sight. Peter breathed a sigh of relief, when suddenly; a gaggle of girls turned the corner. Shutting the door quickly, Peter shook his head.

Remus sighed. Now they were going to be stuck in here for a long, long time. Jesus, wasn't there someway to get out? "Peter," he said tiredly, "just keep trying."

James strolled in the castle halls, watching the candlelight flicker on the wall. Everything seemed to be a dream… Harry… Lily actually liking him… Remus old… Lucius Malfoy had a son…

Finally, James realized he had reached the door to Lupin's classroom. He should probably be in bed at the boy's dormitory, not wandering around the castle, but…

Entering quietly, he found Lupin writing on a piece of paper, frowning slightly. He looked busy. James was about to exit as silently as he entered, when Lupin looked up and gave a smile.

"Sit down. I was almost finished with this anyway."

James did as he was told, seating himself across from Lupin. Finally, the older man put down his pen and smiled kindly.

"So, you had a long talk with Harry, I hope?"

"Yeah." James sighed, eyes going dreamy again. "He's really… well… It's weird. You know, he's my kid. And I'm technically just a kid. But it's just that I feel... like…" He moved his arms in large gestures, trying to explain. "Well, you know. You've got to have kids."

Giving another small smile (he did that a lot, James noticed,) Lupin shook his head. "No. No kids."

"Wife?" James prompted, waggling eyebrows suggestively.

"No."

"Engaged?"

"Not that I know of."

"In love?"

"If I was, I certainly wouldn't tell you."

"Fine," James admonished, and crossed his arms. "You're very boring, do you know that?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Well, then, there's nothing I can do. Moony- what's Harry been doing?"

Lupin's head shot up. "I beg your pardon," he said evenly.

"Doing… as in, like, we're dead. So who did Harry end up living with? I'm probably guessing Sirius, Peter or you… or maybe mum and dad," James clarified, waiting.

At first, Lupin pondered for a moment. Then finally, he said, "I think… I think I shouldn't tell you that. You'll figure out on your own, if you're here long enough."

James nodded. "Sure. I can understand you don't want to tell me. After all, you think it would hurt my feelings if I found out that you were his foster dad. Bet he likes you more than he likes me."

"You know, James," Lupin said, putting the paper down on the table, "I've almost forgotten what you were like."

"Oh, no! Forgotten what I was like? How on earth did you live?" James cried, putting hand on forehead in a very Draco Malfoy-ish way.

Lupin had a hint of a smile on his face. "It wasn't that hard, actually. You see-"

At that moment, the door burst open. Lupin and James nearly jumped out of their chairs, turning to see who it was. Or rather, who the people were.

Two red-head men walked in, laughing. "Hey, Professor Moony!" called George, smiling widely, "You were right! Madam Pince really DID kick Sirius! You should have seen her face- she was completely paranoid when we asked her the question…"

"I don't remember Madam Pince kicking Sirius," said James, frowning slightly.

"Err… That's because you're here," Lupin explained, wincing.

"Who's here?"

"Harry's here? Hey Harry! Sirius was pretty cool."

"I'm not Harry," James replied automatically.

"You're not Harry?"

"No, he's Harry," Lupin cut in desperately. "He's just..." He frantically racked his brain for something, anything. "Playing… opposite day…" he finished weakly.

Fred and George exchanged knowing smiles. "I loved when we had opposite day," Fred sighed, placing a hand over his heart. "We could call McGonagall a hot mama, and then, of course, after she got really pissed, we'd tell her that it's opposite day. Well, she'd still get mad because of the insinuation..."

"Best detention I ever got," George remembered, sighing loudly.

"Oh, yeah," James said, trying to cover up for his mistake. "It IS opposite day, that's why I said I wasn't Harry."

Lupin added some not-so-heartfelt laughter to make it seem more believable. "Ha, ha, ha… Oh, Harry… you're such a joker."

Fred frowned deeply. "Hold on a second… if Harry just said he is Harry, then he's not Harry."

"Yes, but before, didn't he say he _wasn't_ Harry?" Lupin desperately said, trying to salvage James's true identity.

"Really, I'm not Harry," James said nervously.

"Ah! You said you weren't, so you are," George crowed in triumph.

"No, no! I mean, I am Harry! I am! I just forgot…" James cried, realizing what a mess he had made.

"You forgot? Well, then you mean you didn't forget. You're hiding something," Fred accused, pointing a finger at the two tense Marauders.

"We're not, honestly, Fred, George," Lupin said, attempting to calm the situation down.

"So you are hiding something! We've got them now, George," Fred said, suddenly giving a rather evil impression.

"Fine!" James cried, cracking. "I'm not Harry! I'm James… his father… I came to future. Just stop confusing me!"

Fred and George exchanged looks. Finally, Fred spoke up. "Very good one, Harry. Trying to fool us into thinking you were your dad? As if we'd slip up and forget it was opposite day!"

The two twins then left the room, leaving Lupin and James open-mouthed and very, very confused.

-

Sirius Black was getting tired of running. Slowing down, he took a breath at the bench, and sat down obligingly. He must have run… Oh, God… fifty miles? Maybe he was exaggerating.

Lying down, he let his body relax completely. Finally, he could get some rest…

And for a moment, Sirius slipped into a peaceful sleep. Every worried thought escaped into the expansive sky above, out of his head.

The Marauders were lying in the grass, young and happy again. Sirius played with the dirt underneath his feet, while James had a piece of grass in his mouth, lounging on the ground. Peter was resting, and Remus staring at the blue sky above.

It was just the way Sirius wanted everything to be again- just the Marauders and him. Pure bliss. The present was dark, grim and just so unpredictable… except for Harry. Harry. The only reason he'd found his way out of that veil, the only way he managed to overcome the strange, shadowy world he'd been inhibiting. His love gave him the reason to live.

-

He needed to find Harry. He needed to get back to Hogwarts.

Peter scrabbled down the hallway, desperately looking for James and Lily. They couldn't really be here, could they? If they were, he didn't want to report back to Voldemort…

Rubbing his whiskers, he took a pause by Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. He should probably go by the dorm now; it's likely that's where they were in there…

A loud creaking noise startled Peter, and he scurried into the shadow, cowering. A few moments later, his heart race relaxed. Just someone coming out of the bathroom. Nothing else.

But as the rat looked up, he saw something that almost made his tiny heart stop. Because what he saw was himself. He decided that Voldemort giving him a job to spy at Hogwarts may have been a bit more interesting than he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

James walked down the corridor, still a bit confused over his encounter with Fred and George. If he said he wasn't Harry, then that meant he was. But then if he contradicted himself, would the fact that he said he wasn't Harry first come into play when he said he was? Or maybe the previous comment just cross-cancelled that, so therefore, he wasn't Harry. Or maybe…

Not paying any attention to the outside world, James rounded a corner and bumped into a girl with long blonde hair, knocking her down. After gathering his wits, James helped the girl up. "Sorry, I didn't see you…"

The girl had large, dreamy eyes and a faraway expression permanently upon her face. "Oh," she began, "that's all right. I didn't see you either. Sometimes I wonder whether anyone sees each other."

James suddenly felt as though he had miraculously appeared in Lupin's classroom again, Fred and George accusing him of not being Harry. "Um…"

"Do we all see each other differently? Look in the mirror, and what you see may not be what I see," she continued, staring at James. "Maybe it's the perception of the viewer or just the view of the person themselves."

"Yeah…"

"You look an awful lot like Harry Potter," she said dreamily. "But you aren't him. You're different."

"Well that's good, because I'm not Harry Potter. I've got to get to…"

"I'm Luna Lovegood," she said, completely ignoring the previous comment. Or perhaps she didn't hear. James was betting on the latter.

"Moon-calves have infiltrated Azkaban," she said suddenly.

"Right…" James commented, looking around for any route of escape.

"What's your name?"

_Let's see if she falls for this... _James thought. "Sir Winston Churchill, Prime Minister," he replied.

Her eyes went solemn. "Welcome to Hogwarts, Prime Minister Chruchill," she said, extending a hand to shake.

James couldn't believe it. What happened to Hogwarts the way he knew it? "Yeah… I've really got to go now…" he said.

"You can walk with me. Did you know there is secret passageway to Durmstrang is behind this wall?" She paused to put a hand on a regular looking wall.

"Um…"

"Yes. I've spent some time trying to find a way in, but I haven't found it yet." She looked sorrowful at her last statement. "I've already tried tapping my wand against a few bricks, and also taking the hairs of Professor Flitwick and arranging them into the shape of a pyramid onto the fifth brick to the north-west, but no luck."

James wasn't sure if she were joking or not.

-

"Hmm… do you think if you could maybe give me your robe, we could cut and sew it into a door, therefore symbolically opening the passage, and maybe really way from Durmstrang to Hogwarts?" Luna turned to face the wall, staring at it thoughtfully as James broke down on the floor and started to wail.

As Hermione, Harry and Ron turned the corner, they were a bit surprised to see Luna leaning against a wall, exerting herself over the effort, and James, curled up against the wall, shaking his head and letting out a random, "I can't stand this!"

Hermione, giving a look towards Ron, hurried to James's side and got him standing. "No one warned me that it was going to be so bloody strange in the future," he muttered, walking away from Luna, who had apparently forgot he was there.

"It's really not that strange. Luna is a nice girl, once you get used to her," Hermione assured him, as they walked back to the staircase.

"And how long does it take to get used to her?"

"Uh, well," said Ron, "she was a wicked commentator at the Quidditch game."

James frowned at Ron as they continued their way down the hallway.

-

Professor Snape sat in his room, head in hands. Why on earth was he sitting with Trelawney at Madam Puddifoot's, drinking Butterbeer and eating those disgusting sweets? Something was indeed wrong. When did this start? How the hell did he even get here?

Damn. Why didn't he remember? Shaking his head, he went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. All he knew was that he and Trelawney were sitting intimately together, and he had been… enjoying it. Then, he snapped out of his stupor and immediately left to get back to Hogwarts, leaving the Divination teacher in a dizzy.

He'd been feeling rather warm all night though, which was simply odd for him. _Think, Severus, think!_ he told himself, desperately trying to remember back.

Then, it hit him. He was struggling to remember things. He was feeling unusually warm. And he had been in love with Trelawney.

All these symptoms added up to the love potion. How did someone slip a love potion into his water supply? Trelawney? Maybe, but that didn't quite make sense…

Putting on a black robe, Snape walked up towards the main area of the castle, wanting some fresh air to clear his mind. The grounds would be the perfect place to take a stroll and think…

The night was cold and crisp. Just Snape's kind of weather. He walked around, nearing the Forbidden Forest, mind still reeling off possibilities. Hagrid's hut loomed near to him, but, surprisingly, the lights were all on and the sound of chatter arose from within. If Potter and his friends were in there, oh, what a detention he'd be able to give them.

Snape slowly made his way over, and positioned himself near a window, trying to overhear the conversation. McGonagall's stern voice floated overhead, sounding very amused. "I don't know if the potion has worn off Severus yet, but we're hoping it won't. He's been through such a change, a lovely one. If only our dear Snape would stay that way forever…"

Flitwick, from the other side of the room, interrupted. "Severus is a nice fellow, a bit stiff, but it has been good to see him lighten up a bit. Might I have a bit more sherry, Rubeus?"

Hagrid laughed. "Well, it's been good ter see Snape brighten up a tad. Mind you, I don't think he'll appreciate this here conversation much."

The teachers laughed, and Snape scowled, crouching down under the window. So this is how he came to have love potion in his drink… Well, Severus Snape was going to get even with them.

-

Lupin watched from his room as foursome talked about Luna Lovegood as they proceeded across the hallway. How light-hearted James was… how much he didn't know… Lupin bit back the urge to tell him about how he had died, about who had betrayed James and Lily. And, most importantly, that Lupin himself hadn't betrayed them. But he couldn't.

It hurt, seeing James not know these things. Weren't they all living a lie? He had to tell him something… he had to… after all, today held special meaning. He had to tell him.

"James!" he called out, the urge too strong. James turned toward him, as well as Ron and Hermione.

"James… I have to tell you something."

Ron and Harry exchanged worried looks as Lupin called to James, ushering him into his room.

"Do you think…?" Ron began, looking nervous.

"Professor Lupin wouldn't tell him anything about what's happened to the Marauders," said Harry confidently, but felt a twinge of doubtfulness hit him. Surely Professor Lupin wouldn't tell about how Peter betrayed them… about how…

Hermione shook her head at the two boys. "You two," she said, sounding much like her bossy self, "Professor Lupin would never tell. I'm shocked. We know he's a good teacher and would never go against Dumbledore's orders."

At that moment, there was a sudden cry from the room. Ron and Harry jumped to the door and pressed their ears against it. They could hear muffled sobs from inside the room, sounding very much like James. Hermione stayed behind, narrowing her eyes at the two boys who jumped to the door.

"I... I can't… believe…" James said, sounding deeply distressed.

"I know."

"It's… no… but… we… they…"

Ron's eyes widened. Lupin had told! He leaned closer to the door, trying to catch more of the conversation between Lupin and James.

Lupin said something unintelligible, and then James came anew with fresh cries.

"I don't believe it… when… when did he… he… die?" The last word from James's mouth came soft, as though he wouldn't- couldn't- believe it.

Some more unintelligible words from Lupin (he talked much too softly, Ron thought,) and James let out a cry. "He was so young! He had a whole life ahead of him, Moony! A whole life! Why… why…"

"I know, James, I know."

"I can't… this is too… I just… no…"

There were a few moments of silence inside the room, and James finally asked, voice dropped low, "What happened to…"

Ron couldn't hear who James had said, but Harry mouthed, "He said P." It dawned on Ron- Peter Pettigrew. They were talking about the rat.

"He's traveled a bit…" Lupin said, very much skirting the subject, Ron thought. Sure, Peter had gone to Egypt with them and a few other places, but that was stretching a little. "He's been around the world... he still lives in England."

James's voice sounded bitter. "He's off going to Egypt and… and… India while his… his friend… is… his friend is…" James started to break off, and then finally rushed through the last word. "While his friend is dead!" he finished, and began to cry again.

Lupin muttered something, and James calmed down. Ron and Harry looked miserable. James had taken it hard.

"That's really sad," Ron whispered, turning to Harry. Harry nodded his agreement, when a loud shush silenced them.

"Be quiet," Hermione hissed, leaning next to Ron. "I'm trying to listen!"

There was nothing but silence inside the room. Finally, James whispered, "It's just so funny how you can make light of that… of death… But he was good person. He really was. He was just too young. I'll miss him… the world will miss him."  
Ron could almost see Lupin nodding. "Yes," said Lupin quietly. "Well, come in tomorrow, maybe I'll have some pictures to show to you…"

The threesome stepped away from the door as James exited, eyes red. Ron and Harry gave each other an anguished look as James stepped out, trying to compose himself. Hermione reached out and gave James's shoulder a squeeze.

"I know he was your best friend… I'm sorry, James," she whispered.

James cocked an eyebrow. "My best friend?" he repeated. "I never knew him."

"What?" Hermione said the regret dropping away from her voice.

"I never knew Warren McCarthy, guitarist of the Warlocks. That was my favorite band, you know. Dear God, I loved Warren. I wanted to be just like him. And then he had to go and get attacked by a rampaging hippogriff, just as he was finishing off his last written song. Today is the tenth anniversary of his death. McCarthy will live forever in my heart." James's eyes began to cloud up again as he wiped his sleeve under his eye.

"Warren McCarthy? He was telling you about what happened to…a band?" Ron cried, realizing exactly what had gone on in the room.

"Yes," said James, puzzled.

"What about Peter, and how he traveled the world?" Harry said, trying to organize everything in his mind.

"Peter? No, that was John Jagger. You know, the lead singer? Blimey, you all have a weird sense of imagination… Peter," James snorted, giving a small smile. "Remus was telling me that maybe he can find some pictures of the Warlocks now, or the last album they made, Let It Bean. What did you think we were talking about?"

Hermione, Ron and Harry turned to each other, disbelief in their eyes. The day could not possibly get any stranger.


	3. Chapter 3

Remus gritted his teeth and managed to filter out the singing. It was hard, but he had accomplished it… but how much longer could he keep doing it?

"Peter," he whispered, leaning over to his friend. Peter made no response, but Remus plunged on still. "Peter, you've got to go across the hall. Please! We've got to get away from this."

Peter scowled. "Why don't you do it? You're getting the better deal, I think."

Remus was taken aback at Peter's straight forward remark, but realized it was because of the strain they had been struggling with for the past day. "No, you're getting the better deal," Remus clarified. "You get to escape from Sirius' singing."

For a moment, Peter pondered this, and then nodded as he opened up the door, took a quick peek, and scuffled out of the door.

The sudden bout of silence hit Peter like a rock. It was almost like the singing of angels, the silence…or at least the partially lower volume of Sirius' voice. He took a relieved sigh, and walked to the other room. It was dark, the blinds were shut and the bit of light coming through made the room hazy.

Carefully he stepped over something that looked suspiciously like a dead mouse and surveyed the room. Good enough. It wasn't too cold, nor too noisy, no monsters, and best of all, no one else in the room.

But then again, how was he supposed to know there was?

Still looking at the windows, grinning at the thought that he, Peter Pettigrew, had finally done something right, Peter never knew what hit him.

-

He cracked open an eye. Why was he here…? Taking another look around, he realized he was in the same room, only this time, he appeared to be sitting on a chair. As Peter attempted to reposition himself on the uncomfortable chair, it struck him that he was tied there.

Thin ropes pressed against his hands uncomfortably, and he let out a whimper. _Who… what…?_

A dark shadow from across the room made its way closer towards Peter. His whimpering was uncontrollable now; he leaned back and shied his face from the attacker…

But the attacker did nothing. Peter trembled all over, muscles tensed and sweat trickled down his forehead as he waited. The attacker then made a strange noise, a high pitched sound that could only be described as disbelief.

"I can't believe… I… this isn't…" the attacker muttered, and Peter could see him wringing his hands.

"What?" Peter asked, his voice barely a squeak. The man turned towards him, hands still wringing. The man was going bald, and he had a rather pointy nose and watery blue eyes. _He rather looks like me,_ Peter thought, almost sniggering at the idea.

Of course, the idea wasn't as preposterous as he thought.

-

Harry quickly swept down the corridor, Ron close on his heels. They were still shaking their heads over what Lupin had been saying… or what they thought he had been saying.

"I can't believe we fell for that," Ron muttered, scuffing his shoe on the ground. Harry agreed, but didn't say a word, because at that moment, Moaning Myrtle swooped in.

She was still transparent, as usual… still as annoying as usually… hmm. Harry really was getting used to her. "I know a secret," she whispered, swaying. This was probably the happiest Harry had ever seen her.

"What's your secret, Myrtle?" he asked obediently.

"Well," she began, still swaying gently, "it's very important, so you can't tell anyone." Ron gave Harry a furtive glance, and Harry shrugged. He would play Myrtle's game, for a while, anyway.

"Will you tell us the important secret?" he said, expecting the answer no. He knew Myrtle well enough.

"If you give me a nice kiss I might," said Myrtle, grinning.

An impatient snort came from Ron, and Harry felt a hand grab his arm. "Come on, Harry," Ron muttered, dragging him around the corridor. "This is stupid, we need to get back… where's Hermione?"

Harry, brow furrowed, looked for his friend, but she was nowhere in sight. The absence of Hermione blocked out Myrtle's desperate cries- "I'll tell you anyway, Harry, just come back! Really, it's very important, you know, it's about Sirius and…"

-

"Truth?" Green eyes sparkled in the firelight as a slender hand leaned towards the Bernie Botts Every Flavored Beans. "You've picked that every single time, Hermione!"

Hermione shrugged, a smile coming to her lips. "I like them," she protested, before spitting out a mud flavored one. After everyone had arrived back to the common rooms, Ron, James and Harry immediately went off to vandalize the boy's dormitory while the girls played a rather nasty game of Truth or Dare. Lily and Ginny exchanged a knowing glance, and the Weasley tossed a Coachroach Cluster at Hermione. "You're just scared of getting a dare, aren't you?" Lily teased, watching Hermione blush.

"That is not true," she said, giggling a bit. She had never known what this was like, to hang around the common room with other girls, doing petty things like Parvati and Lavender. To her surprise, she was enjoying it.

Ginny had gone off to the kitchens to get some treats for the Truth or Dare game (Bernie Botts beans if truth was picked, Chocolate Frogs if dare was chosen. If the girl backed out, Coachroach Cluster was the only choice), while Hermione set out some cushions. So far Ginny had run around the castle screaming "BERNE" at the top of her voice, and Lily had managed to get 35 anagrams of the word "Potato."

Hermione had done nothing but pick truth, and the girls were itching to force her into dare.

"Fine," Ginny declared, a grin coming over her face. "But we're going to ask you a good truth question." Lily and Ginny exchanged a large smile before Lily ruthlessly asked the question-

"Do you like Ron?"

Hermione colored rapidly and began to mutter something indecipherable, while the other two girls giggled. Finally, Hermione managed to get out, "Forget I said truth… I say dare."

Lily's eyes danced as she leaned forward and Ginny managed to hide a sly grin. "All right, Hermione… we want you to…"

Lily whispered the dare in Hermione's ear, and the girl's eyes widened. "I can't do that!" exclaimed Hermione, not believing this was possible.

"Yes, you can! And you will, because the other option is the truth question…" Ginny's voice trailed off, and Hermione paled.

"Fine," she muttered, getting up. "But I still get a Chocolate Frog. I like them better anyways."

And Hermione picked up her candy and stalked off, shoving it defiantly in her mouth. Ginny and Lily didn't mention that she had chosen a Coachroach Cluster by accident.

-

Sirius Black left the green hill, quietly smiling as he thought of his happiest memories. It was all just too wonderful.

He walked down the sidewalk, looking at the brick buildings and wooden hotels. This was a small town, no doubt, and everything looked inviting. The hotel had a friendly, warm feel, and for a moment, he considered going inside. He did need a shower, a good meal, and a haircut…

No. He couldn't do that. Furtively, he glanced around him. A few people were out, but none noticed him. It was worth a shot.

He opened the hotel door nervously, where a woman with long fingers was talking on the phone. She had a homely, plump face but was obviously interested in her own affairs. "I'll be with you in a minute," she mouthed, and went back talking. "Really, Audrey, why, I know, I don't believe it… It's a fair cop, by far; I mean, be fair… I know…"

Sirius found a comfy chair on one side of the room and sat down, relief tingling in his feet. He leaned back and closed his eyes, letting peace sweep over him. At last, there was no more running!

At that moment, a blur went past him as a waiter made a wide curve around his chair as not to hit him. Sirius sat, stunned. What was going on? A tall man with a black moustache raced by, shouting angrily. Unfortunately, he did not take so much care in not hitting Sirius, as he went flying when his chair overturned.

The tall man turned back hurriedly. "I'm dreadfully sorry, I promise, what ever you want, you can have, just give me a moment," he said distractedly, his hair tufted as he went back to chasing the waiter.

Sirius, a bit confused, straightened the chair and sat down again. Whatever he wanted, he could have? That was a generous offer, and he could certainly use it to his advantage. But what would he want…?

He looked over his shoulder. The dining room was filled with people in classy suits and carefully pressed dresses. If there was one way he was not going to be recognized by people, it would be if he were wearing one of those suits…

A light bulb lit over his head. He could walk in the streets normally, without having to move at night! This would be perfect! Now all he needed was for the manager to quit chasing the waiter.

"Sir?" the woman at the desk asked, face inquisitive. "Sir…"

"Oh, sorry," Sirius muttered, blushing faintly. "I'll just be staying for a night…" At this he trailed off, realizing he had no money, wizard or Muggle. How could he have been so stupid? But more importantly… where would he stay? He'd so been looking forward to a nice, hot bath…

The woman's brow suddenly furrowed, hair piled on top of her head swaying slightly. "You know," she began, "I think I've seen you before."

"Really?" said Sirius, feeling very uncomfortable. "I've never been here before, so you must be mistaken." In the background he could hear the manager screaming at the waiter. After he had that suit, he'd be out of here.

The woman clicked her tongue, and then suddenly, her face lit up. "You must be the new schoolteacher!"

Relief swept over Sirius that she had not recognized him from his Wanted posters. "Yes, yes… hold on, I mean, no!"

The woman appeared to not have heard him as she continued on, excited as ever. "Yes, the poor preschool has been without a teacher for about a month. The teacher, unfortunately, quit and now a kind Frenchman… why, that's you, I suppose… whose picture was in the paper- that's how I recognized you!- offered to take it. Thank you so much, Mr. …?"

Sirius was too shocked to say a word. "By Merlin," he breathed, running his hands through his hair.

"B. Merlin?" questioned the woman, eyebrows raised.

"No!" he exclaimed.

"Well, Monsieur Merlin, my husband and I would be most obliged to hold you without fee," the woman declared, ignoring his last comment.

"But I'm not- wait. For free?"

"Yes, is there a problem with that?" asked the woman pleasantly.

"No, no, not at all," Sirius said, breaking into a smile. "That's wonderful. _C'est incroyable_!"

The woman looked quite delighted with his random piece of French. "I don't believe we've ever had a Frenchman here before!" exclaimed she, delight written over her face. She turned her back to him as she took a key from a peg and handed it to him. "Here's your hotel key, number 23. My husband and I will be happy to see you, for sure."

"Happy?" the manager's voice broke out from the kitchen area. He stormed out, rage seething. "That waiter can't do anything right, he's served a three egg omelet with three eggs on top- three real, unshelled, uncooked eggs! The door handle is broken; room 15 has a roach problem, the kitchen is on fire…"

The woman lifted her eyebrows in mild interest. "The kitchen's on fire, dear?"

"It bloody well is," the manager snorted, leaning against the counter. Suddenly his eyes widened. "The kitchen's on bloody fire!" he screamed, it truly hitting him as he raced to the kitchen. A few moments later, his head popped out. "Don't just stand there, woman! Help me!"

The manager's wife sighed. "I'll be with you in a moment, Monsieur Merlin."

Sirius grinned. Finally, he wouldn't be on the run. He could be where he belonged. And tomorrow, he would be teaching a room of preschoolers. What could be better?

"Polly, get the bloody water hose!" screamed the manager.


	4. Chapter 4

Peter began to whimper. Everything had begun to press down on him all too much. They'd defied time, they'd thrown themselves into a situation impossible to get of, and now he was kidnapped.

His captor still appeared to be in a mental battle with himself, turning this way and that, aching with decisions. Finally, his captor made way to his chair, his whole face unreadable. The face was not neutral of emotion, but simply that there was too much to observe.

"I… I'm going to try to make you… comfortable," the kidnapper said uneasily, fumbling with the rope that bound Peter's wrists.

The boy couldn't say a word, even if he wanted to. The fear had paralyzed him, and even when the rope had slid away, his arms stayed frozen. The captor had gone back into the darkness and Peter was left to his thoughts. He moved his fingers slowly, fear creeping up every time he moved anything. The kidnapper might see it and Avada Kedvra him.

He wished he were brave like Sirius. He would have jumped out of the chair in a split second and manage to look good at the same time. But Peter was stuck, frozen out of fear.

He tentatively moved his arms, little by little, bringing them slowly back to his lap. Halfway through, with a deep breath, he snatched them close to his chest, hardly daring to look. The captor wasn't paying attention at all.

At that moment, a strange and irrational feeling swept over Peter. At first, he thought it bravery, but it was actually recklessness. Just do it… just GO FOR IT!

His mind screamed this at him, and he almost left his chair. But no- he mustn't. Think of the danger…

Do it!

Peter stood up and ran as fast as he could. He was running away, further away than could be imagined, back to the past, back to where he and his friends (were they his friends?) could just enjoy themselves by the lake, where he and Sandra King could-

That awful feeling of falling hit Peter like a bag of bricks. It probably would have had the same effect if a bag of bricks hit him, because he went sprawling across the ground. What happened, what happened, went swirling around his mind until he realized his legs were still bound to the chair, and it was tottering precociously.

He never knew how much chairs hurt.

His kidnapper knew, he knew, Peter was dead, he knew he was, just get it over with, please, please, he didn't-

But instead the captor was untying his feet and practically pleading, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Peter didn't understand what was going on.

"Here, have something to… to eat…" The captor turned his back to Peter and rummaged through a knapsack, taking out a few things and throwing a few things back.

Peter was more shaken that he was before. He could hardly move his body, even if he tried. Speaking was equivalent to being able to jump off Big Ben and fly. He closed his eyes, sweat beading on his forehead. Maybe if he squeezed his eyes tight enough, he would be back with Sirius and Remus, even if Sirius was still singing.

When he opened his eyes again, a napkin was folded in his lap, obscuring a few items from sight. He shouldn't open it; it might have automatic sensors that would blast lasers at him if he opened the cloth. But he was so hungry…

Inside were mainly chocolate frogs and pumpkin pasties with a nice cut of ham in the middle.

"Sorry," his captor squeaked, wringing his hands. "That's all I have… I… here… I'll untie your feet too."

Peter looked down at the strange meal, then back at his captor, who was busy untying the rope at his feet. That ham, though a bit dry was still quite acceptable. The chocolate frogs weren't bad at all, and neither were the pumpkin pasties.

Who ever said being a captive was that bad?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Remus didn't care anymore. Actually, he had stopped caring a few hours ago… or had it been minutes? The Warlocks weren't that bad. No. He couldn't have really said that.

_Concentrate. Concentrate on where Peter is_, Remus told himself sternly. He'd been gone for half an hour now, and Remus was getting worried. He might have gotten abducted by McGonagall, if she was still alive of course, or maybe he got lost on his quest…

"Where's Peter?" The abrupt question shook Remus out of his philosophical mode as he turned his head around. Sirius was standing in the middle of the bathroom, the overflowed toilet water lapping around his ankles.

"You stopped singing."

"Yes. Do you know how much you guys ask me to do?" Sirius sighed, sitting himself down besides Remus.

Remus stared. "What do you mean?"

Sirius sighed again. "Well, I mean that it gets really tiring singing The Warlocks all the time. But you guys keep insisting, and I can't keep it up anymore. It's extremely tiring on a star's voice."

This logic seemed to defy Remus's mind at the moment, but all he was focused on was Peter's whereabouts. "Peter's missing," he said tiredly.

"Missing? Thou art jesting!" Sirius put on a mock Shakespearean artist face, hand to forehead in distress.

"He is, Sirius. We've got to find him. How can we loose three people in the future? It shouldn't be that hard to stay together," moaned Remus, covering his face in his hands.

"The course of true love never doth run smooth," Sirius said, leaning over to pat Remus on the head. His tired eyes met Sirius'.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Shakespeare's works can parallel anything to anything," replied Sirius confidently, hands on hips. "That was from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act I, Lysander to Hermia."

"The 'Shakespeare's works can parallel anything' or the 'course of true love never doth run smooth?'"

Sirius splashed Remus with some of the water on the floor, resulting in a cry of outrage from the quieter one. "That was disgusting!"

"My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white," quipped Sirius.

Before Remus could ask what the quote was, Sirius had already obligingly filled in the blanks. "Macbeth, Act II, Scene III, Lady Macbeth, after murdering King Duncan."

"That's very nice, Sirius. But we're missing three." Remus stopped in mid-sentence, simply to stress the number. "THREE people. How could we be so irresponsible?"

Remus lifted his woe-ridden head to get Sirius' attention. "Three people!" Remus stopped, and then sighed at what he didn't see.

"Four people," he moaned miserably, and raced out the door to find Sirius.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hermione sneaked down the corridor, not believing that Ginny and Lily had actually gotten her to do this. This was ridiculous! She was out of her mind, she must be. Doing this would give immediate detention, maybe even expulsion.

The corridor leading to the Defense room never felt so cold. Why, why, why was she doing this? She didn't have to. Hermione could say that she had done it- a "let's not and say we did" sort of thing.

And there it was. The door to the classroom. She took a deep breath. This was stupid, stupid, stupid. But she couldn't back down. A possessive hold had come over her, a sort of recklessness. She was going to do this, no matter how much her sensibility told her not to.

She began to rehearse what she would say. "Professor Snape…"

"Yes?"

The cold voice cut her off, and immediately her skin turned clammy. She slowly turned around, looking up at Snape's chillingly neutral visage.

"Err… I just wanted to say… that Professor McGonagall is a frightful old git and walks like she has a rod stuck up her-" This was blurted out before Hermione could think about whether she really wanted to say it. There. Ginny and Lily would be perfectly happy. Of course, she wouldn't tell them that she'd forgotten the last word, but she figured they'd be happy all the same.

And now for the punishment.

She waited for Snape's response, but instead, nothing happened. She opened one eye hesitantly, anxiously awaiting her sentence.

"Shh!" muttered Snape, leaning in towards her ear. "I agree. Now, how would I go about plotting revenge on her?"

Hermione's mouth dropped open. She would have rather got the chastising.


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: All right, a lot of y'all were voicing outrage (all right, I'm being melodramatic) at Snape's supposed OOC remark-- it'll be explained VERY soon. (But not in this chapter. ....) And uh... sorry this has been taking forever. Yeah. No excuse, really, so I'll leave it at that.

"Remus," pronounced Sirius flourishingly. "These days weigh heavy upon my soul. To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of an outrageous fortune or to take arms against a troubled-"

"Oh, shut up," Remus muttered, clasping Sirius's arm. He'd found him down by the Great Hall, quoting Shakespeare to himself. They needed to get down to the brass-tacks: Find Lily and James and get back. Now.

"Look! Little children to play with," grinned Sirius evilly as a few fifth years passed by. Before Remus could tighten his grip, Sirius had run off, galloping towards the students. Everything was happening too quickly, just stay put..!

Remus cringed as Sirius began his rampage. "But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon…" he serenaded, going on one knee to the Hufflepuff girl.

This was too much. Way too much. Remus was ready to step in and apologize; his friend had escaped from a mental institution and that he needed to take him back, thanks-

"Oh no, here comes Looney Lovegood," the Hufflepuff girl muttered, turning her back in disgust and walking the other way. The other boy shrugged his shoulders as he walked away.

"Parting is such sweet sorrow-" began Sirius, but when Luna Lovegood came into his sight, he could say not another word.

How could he describe her? Her hair was as golden as the sun; her eyes the blue of a crystal pool. If a soul should swim through the pool, they should be lost helplessly at the depth and brilliance of the color.

He walked forward, drawn to her.

"Sirius," warned Remus, grabbing his robe sleeve. There were a hundred things wrong with this, but at the moment, Remus could only think of one. "Don't you love Rosa?" he started helplessly.

"No. I have forgot that name, and that name's woe," whispered Sirius, creeping hesitantly towards Luna. "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!"

The girl Looney, Remus thought the students had said, quirked an eyebrow. "Who are you?" she said.

"She speaks. O, speak again, bright angel for thou art as glorious to this night, being o'er my head, as is a winged messenger of Heaven," breathed Sirius, reciting through Romeo and Juliet subconsciously. How he had read this play over and over again at Andromeda's house, for good pick-up lines… but instead finding them used for true love.

"This _is_ true love," he whispered, knowing it was true.

"You need to get outside, Sirius. You've been cooped up too long. Is Moaning Myrtle getting to your head? Let's GO."

Looney held her hand out to Sirius. "You are a poet. A true poet," she murmured, looking very solemn.

"If I profane," Sirius began, looking hesitantly at his hand, trembling with anxiety to reach hers, "with my unworthiest hand this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this-"

Remus felt like screaming through his teeth. "Stop it, Sirius," he muttered angrily. "You've had your fun, now let's leave!"

"No."

Looney was placing her hands upon a wall, pushing a few bricks then moving a step to the right.

"What are you doing?" Sirius asked, eyes never leaving Luna's.

She glanced up at him, face as serious as ever. "I am trying to find a passageway to Durmstrang. Another boy came by asking me that- dark hair, glasses… Usually, no one talks to me."

Sirius's face crumpled into concern. "That's terrible!" he cried.

For a few moments, Remus disregarded the description of the boy passing by Luna. Then, he saw the boy clearly. "James…"

He turned on Luna. "Where did the boy go? Which way?" he asked frantically, seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. They could go home, they would find James; they would find Peter...

"Can I help you in any way," Sirius asked sincerely. "For I would do anything for you, anything for this angel of light that spreads her holiness upon the poor vagabond that stumbles upon this shrine-"

"Yes. I would need a few hairs of Professor Flitwick to arrange into a pyramid on the north-west brick to open this passage- to test this theory. If it doesn't work, I'll be most awfully sorry." Her eyes looked large and sad at the last statement, and Sirius felt a sudden surge of chivalry. He could prove himself worthy.

"Of course," he replied. "Farewell, farewell, one kiss and I'll descend." Sirius looked hopeful at his last statement, and Looney obligingly leaned down and gave him soft peck on the forehead.

"Thank you very much," she said, giving a small smile. "I would have done it myself, but I'm guarding the other wall so that the Hippogriffs won't escape. What is your name?"

Remus knew what Sirius was going to say.

"Romeo," he whispered, as if the name Sirius Black may offend her, before running off in search of the item for his love.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tie adjusted, shoe tied, hair combed… yes, Sirius was ready for this. He tried giving the tie one more twist, and looked down at the suit that was all too long for him. The manager gave him the suit, and then began to mutter about how guests were awful pushy these days. Sirius decided to ignore him. The tie was awfully short too…

He left the hotel jauntily, almost skipping down the road. This was the life. He could just teach this one day to make Mrs. Hotel Desk Lady believe him. Then he'd run off towards home. To Harry.

A small white painted building stood ahead of him, quite unimposing. This must be it, especially with the sign that said, "PRESCHOOL" in large letters.

He opened the door quietly, and found a few parents in the room holding their little Muggle children. One of the girls there looked vaguely familiar, so he gave her a wink. She was a skinny thing, legs like sticks that were constantly swinging. And she was licking an ice cream cone.

Her eyes widened at the sight of him. "It's the evil murderer Sirius Black!" she shouted, giggling at the memory.

Damn. That same girl on the bench the day the Muggles spotted him. And still licking an ice cream cone. Of course, it wasn't the same one… or was it?

He stood, frozen. He could feel the parents' stares on him. Should he run? He'd been doing it long enough, and now was the perfect time to start up again-

The mother of the ice cream girl blushed madly and stood up, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I'm awfully sorry, she thinks she sees Sirius Black everywhere since they spotted him in the park a few weeks ago." The mother blushed an even deeper red. "And to think of accusing a perfectly respectable man as you, Monsieur Merlin…" She shook her head. "I hope she didn't hurt you in any way…"

Sirius forced himself to laugh uproariously. "Of course not," he said, patting the ice cream girl on the head. "I don't mind at all! I accused a few share of people in my time of being mass murderers…"

There were a few laughs at this and he loosened up. Ice cream girl wouldn't land him in Azkaban!

Momentary relief swept over him before another wave of anxiety crept behind him. Why were all the parents here anyway? Wasn't he just supposed to take the kids and let them color a picture or something?

"So… let's begin with class!" he said, giving a wide smile. None of the Muggles shared in this except for ice cream girl.

"Are you going to give a talk about what the year's going to be like?" offered a mother hesitantly.

"Uh…" Sirius's mind blanked. What was this? "No."

The adults exchanged glances before standing up and leaving. Good, good, good. Now he could be left alone with the brats and get this over with. It wasn't until everyone had left that he realized the children had gone along with the parents.

Damn.

No, now looking around, he saw two children had stayed. One was ice cream girl, and the other was a scared looking boy. This would be okay. This would be fine. Think about Harry. Think about Harry and how he will be so happy to see you.

"Okay," Sirius began, holding up a few crayons and a roll of toilet paper. "Who wants to color?"


End file.
